Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport

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Coordinates: 18°26′22″N 066°00′07″W / 18.43944°N 66.00194°W / 18.43944; -66.00194

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
SJU.jpg
View of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
IATA: SJUICAO: TJSJFAA: SJU
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Serves San Juan
Location Carolina, Puerto Rico
Hub for American Eagle, Cape Air
Elevation AMSL 9 ft / 3 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 10,002 3,049 Asphalt
10/28 8,016 2,443 Concrete
Statistics (2005)
Aircraft operations 217,434
Based aircraft 107
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]
SJU Diagram.JPG

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (IATA: SJUICAO: TJSJFAA LID: SJU) is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico (an insular area of the United States), three miles (five kilometers) southeast of San Juan. The airport receives over 10 million passengers per year making it the busiest airport in the Caribbean in terms of movement of passengers, and it is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.

Contents

[edit] History

SJU's Control Tower
Main airport terminal

The airport opened in May 22, 1955. Located in the area known as Isla Verde, the airport was for many decades known as Isla Verde International Airport, until 1985, when then Governor Rafael Hernández Colón decided to name it after Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor.[citation needed]

The airport served as a Caribbean hub for Pan Am, Trans Caribbean Airways, Eastern Air Lines, and a short lived focus city for TWA. It was also the hub of Puerto Rico's international airline, Prinair from 1966 until 1984, when Prinair went bankrupt. In 1986, American Airlines (along with American Eagle) established a hub in the airport to compete with Eastern Air Lines. In the past, the airport has been served by Mexicana, Lufthansa, Air France, ACES Colombia, British Airways, Air Jamaica, Viasa, Aerolineas Argentinas, Dominicana De Aviacion, and ATA Airlines.[2].

Substantial efforts by the current administration to secure service to new destinations in Europe and other areas of Latin America, have so far yielded only one new future airline. This is probably due to the current state of the airline industry. Also, the rise of regional airports in Ponce and Aguadilla, have caused a dent to existing air service which certainly hasn't helped expand current service. All that put aside, routes to/from San Juan remain top performers for the airlines that do operate here.[citation needed]

[edit] Operations

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the island's main international gateway and its main connection to the United States. Domestic flights fly between Carolina and other local destinations, including Aguadilla, Culebra, Mayagüez, Ponce and Vieques. The airport offers rapid access to San Juan, the island's capital through the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge.

Facilities include a Best Western Hotel and Casino, a barber's shop, beauty salons, souvenir kiosks, duty-free shops, a Banco Popular de Puerto Rico branch and several ATMs throughout the facilities.

The airport serves as the Caribbean hub for American Eagle.[3] American's hub operations were truncated by over 50 percent (from 38 to 18 daily inbound flights) on September 3, 2008. The airport serves as a focus city for American Airlines.[4][5] Recently, American Eagle announced it would be adding 109 weekly flights throughout the Caribbean. The new flights will begin on May 1, 2009.[6] As of today, Executive Airlines, under the American Eagle name is the largest operator and employer in Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, with a total of 45 daily flights.

[edit] Terminals and airlines

The Luis Muñoz Marín Airport has one main terminal building with four concourses and a new terminal building which will have one concourse.

The landside area of the main terminal building is divided into three distinct ticket counter areas: the American Airlines area, the Continental Airlines and Delta Airlines area, and a large counter area contaning all the other airlines. The American Airlines area is nearest to concourses D and E, the Continental and Delta area is nearest to concourse C and the remaining area is nearest to concouse B.

The original airport design had a different layout which consisted of three terminals B, C and D. New signing around the airport has changed this.

[edit] Concourse A

Concourse A is currently under construction and it is slated to open in early 2010. The concourse will be used by US Airways and Delta Air Lines. [7]

[edit] Concourse B

Concourse B has 12 gates: 31A - 31B, 32 - 41

Airlines Destinations
Air Canada Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson [seasonal]
Air Sunshine St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, Vieques, Virgin Gorda
AirTran Airways Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando
Cape Air Mayagüez, Ponce, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, Vieques
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, New York-JFK
LIAT Antigua, Dominica, St.Vincent, St. Kitts
Northwest Airlines Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul [all seasonal]
United Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, St. Thomas, Washington-Dulles
US Airways Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia
Vieques Air Link Vieques

[edit] Concourse C

Two Cape Air Cessna 402Cs with part Concourse B visible behind them

Concourse C has 9 gates: 20, 22 - 29

Airlines Destinations
Continental Airlines Cleveland [seasonal], Houston-Intercontinental, Newark
Copa Airlines Panama City
Iberia Airlines Madrid
Insel Air Curacao, St. Maarten
JetBlue Airways Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York-JFK, Orlando, Santo Domingo, Washington-Dulles [seasonal]
PAWA Dominicana Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros [begins December 18]
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale, Orlando
Virgin Atlantic Airways Antigua, London-Gatwick

[edit] Concourse D

Overview of Concourse C, D and E

Concourse D has 8 gates: 11 - 12, 14 - 19

Airlines Destinations
American Airlines Baltimore, Boston, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Philadelphia, Santo Domingo, Tampa, Washington-Dulles [resumes November 19] [8]
American Eagle operated by Executive Airlines Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Beef Island, Dominica, Fort-de-France, Grenada [seasonal], La Romana, Nevis, Pointe-a-Pitre, Port of Spain, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

[edit] Concourse E

Concourse E has 14 gates: 1A - 1F, 2 - 9

Airlines Destinations
American Airlines See Concourse D

Note: Gates 1A - 1F and gates 2 - 5 are currently vacant due to American Airlines' San Juan hub cuts.

[edit] Future Airlines

Airlines Destinations
City Link Air Jacksonville [begins early 2010][9]
MexicanaClick Cancun [begins December 14, 2009][10]

[edit] Air Charters

Airlines Destinations
Air France Guadeloupe
Allegiant Air Las Vegas
Avianca Bogota
Condor Frankfurt
Expressjet Punta Cana, Santo Domingo-Las Americas
Mexicana Mexico City
Miami Air Varies, depending on the tour operator
Omni Air International Varies, depending on the tour operator
Ryan International Airlines Atlanta, Chicago-O'Hare, Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando, Tampa
TACA Costa Rica San José de Costa Rica
Skyservice Toronto, Montreal
Sun Country Airlines Minneapolis/St. Paul
Thomson Airways London-Gatwick, Manchester
USA 3000 Airlines Punta Cana
USA Jet Airlines Punta Cana, Santo Domingo-Las Americas

[edit] Military/cargo ramps

[edit] Military ramp

[edit] Cargo services

[edit] Airport expansion

As of 2008, the airport has been receiving major upgrades, including a new concourse (Concourse A), pavement and apron expansions, new light systems, press conference rooms, and new fast food franchises along its corridors.

Over $400 million will be used to expand the airport facilities through 2011. The new concourse is expected to open in early 2010.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

[edit] References

  1. ^ FAA Airport Master Record for SJU (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-03-15
  2. ^ >[1] retrieved 10/31/2009
  3. ^ Official AMR Website Profile with Hub List retrieved 5/27/2008
  4. ^ http://www.caribbeanlogue.com/american-airlines-reducing-caribbean-flights.html
  5. ^ American Airlines, American Eagle Cut Flights to Caribbean - Business - redOrbit
  6. ^ [2]
  7. ^ [3] retrieved 10/30/2008
  8. ^ American Airlines to Launch Nonstop Service Between Washington's Dulles Airport and San Juan, Puerto Rico retrieved 10/08/2009
  9. ^ City Link Air retrieved 2009
  10. ^ [In spanish] Mexicana introduces new Cancun routes
  11. ^ Aviation Safety Network retrieved 27 November 2006

[edit] External links